"The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in, Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin" - London Calling, The Clash

Your Trip Details
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Flight: British Midland Airways Limited flight 106 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS)at 1:45pm
Arrive: London Heathrow, UK (LHR) at 2:00pm
Seats: Check in at Airport for Seat Assignment. (Airbus Industrie Jet)
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The final details and cash payout is the flight from Strausborg to Amsterdam...

I think I'll go pull out "London Calling" and turn the stereo up loud enough for people in London to hear it.

Can you tell I'm giddy with excitement about this trip? And it's two months away, I'm going to be bonkers by the time we get ready to leave.

P.S. Dirk bought himself some fancy 'travel' trousers today. You know the one with the zipper back pocket and hidden passport pocket? LOL I'm thinking about just bopping around Europe in my snowman pj's.

"In the port of amsterdam, there's a sailor who sings..." In the Port of Amsterdam, David Bowie

I just booked our hotel reservation for our Amsterdam portion of our impending trip. It's only two months off -- and I'm getting giddier and giddier about it.

(doing a little dance in my snowman pajamas)

Now I need to book our travel from France to Holland and then from Holland to London.

(doing another little dance in my snowman pajamas)

Dirk and I love to travel and explore cities; and the thought of being able to do this in Europe is exciting.

Nightmares.....

Legacy Boxer Rescue in Texas recently took in young malnorished boxer who weighed 19 lbs. The first guess was that she was only a few months old, however after the vet exam it was determined her actual age as 1 to 2 years old. 19 lbs??? This hit me hard, all I could think of was Julian.

Unfortunately, like Julian, Lucy's little body was not able to recover. She's now with the Goddess who can show her more love then she ever knew on earth.

You can see photos of Lucy on Legacy's website. *WARNING* these are graphic.

I'm sick to my stomach over this and am completely jaded about human race. I'm sick to death of the pain that people cause animals through neglect, torture and just being a bad pet owner. I'm sick to death of hearing about dogs huddled outside in dog houses trying to stay warm because they are not allowed in the home. I'm sick to death of seeing people in Wal-Mart buying 50 lbs of dog food for $6.99 because it's cheap. I'm sick to death of seeing dogs dumped in shelters with treatable medical or behavioral problems because their family didn't want to deal with them.

One more on my list to smote...

I got this email this morning:
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Hobocare,

My wife and I are proud owners of two beautiful boxers. One of them we adopted from you not too long ago. We have enjoyed our time with them as they have been wonderful companions to us. Unfortunately, we cannot remain stewards of their care due to the amount of damage they have done to our home and our ability to tolerate more. Please help us to find a home for them where there destructive ways will be tolerated or may have less of an impact. They are housetrained and very well trained in the art of afternoon walks and jogging. We kindly ask that they are kept together; however, if finding a loving home means they must be separated, please do so. We love them a lot and are confident you can find a good home for them.

Sincerely,

XXXXX
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Again, I ask? What the FUCK is wrong with people???

"It's a lesson in cruelty" - Lesson in Cruelty, Elvis Costello

This week is *not* the week to get on my bad side -- someone just may find themselves smote.

Imagine a sweet 22 month old boxer named Rosie. Her fur is soft, her eyes are a deep, dark brown and they melt your heart. She just wants to snuggle with someone.

Now, imagine that she has been crated for the last TWENTY months only being let out for bathroom breaks.

Now, imagine how this sweet dog's hips and knees are so atrophied from lack of exercise during crucial growth months that she's crippled.

Now, picture the surgeries that our rescue group is going to have to foot to repair the damage to both hips and both knees.

Finally, imagine the outrage and anger I have for people who abuse animals.

I want to shake these people, scream at the them asking "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!?" as I cram them into a little plastic box.

Then, I remember that someone else cared enough to get this dog out of this deplorable situation and make sure she made it into our care.

And, I'm still on the war path.

Don't cross me, you may be maimed or killed in the process.

"You´ll come a waltzing matilda with me..." Waltzing Matilda, Roy Orbison

The weather here is just stunning this weekend! I up early, fed the dogs, pulled on shorts and a tank top, grabbed 'Good Omens' and plopped myself in a lounge chair on the deck for a few relaxing hours. Ah....life is good!

Dirk got all packed up and took off to Albuquerque for a few days for work, I made sure he had a good book on CD for the trip down -- Philip Pullman's 'The Golden Compass'. He said he was also going to stop at the library on the way out of town to pick up a few more books on tape -- said he was in the mood for a good gorey murder mystery.

This afternoon, Matilda and I took a nice long walk around the the neighborhood to check out the open space down the hill and see if we could spot any deer or fox. Didn't see any, but spotted a gorgeous hawk soaring around the creek looking for a snack.

The house is all quiet with Dirk gone....I think I'll run out to the library to stock up on reading materials.

"'cause i'm the taxman, yeah, i'm the taxman" -- Taxman, The Beatles

Well, we *finally* got our business taxes done yesterday -- we lost almost $1500. And the world of an LLC startup, this is great news! LOL

So, our tax advisor gets all done with the preparation and says to us "Well, the normal price for this is $400, but you had most of the information pulled together all ready and I didn't have to do as much work as I normally would so how about I charge you $300?" So, I look at him smile and counter offer "How about $275? -- you've seen our balance sheets...."

I thought Dirk was going to fall out of his chair at my haggling with the tax guy.

The poor guys didn't know what to do, but I think he felt guilty and wanted to look like he was being fair since I had the balls to ask for a better price, we settled on $290.00. It was only $10.00, but it was something!

I'm mulling over the name suggestions, I've gotten for the betta -- the boxers really like Andrea's suggestion, 'Lunch'.

21 states to go...

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